How to manually uninstall Chrome extensions

Chrome extensions are great. They offer a variety of tools to help us with our work, enable us to find information quicker, and even keep us entertained in our down time.

Unfortunately, too many extensions can slow your browser down, cause it to crash, or even download malware onto your computer. So for those of you who want a leaner (and faster) Chrome experience, this guide will show you how to uninstall an extension from Google Chrome.

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Can Chrome extensions be dangerous?

Chrome extensions are bits of code that are added to your browser. They can help you do a variety of things, such as performing spell checks or helping you store your passwords, and are generally safe.

While Google is quite stringent with the way they test extensions before making them available in the Chrome Web Store, it possible that a safe extension has been modified to include some malicious features. For example, a developer of an innocuous extension may have sold their work to a different company, which then modifies the extension to inject tracking scripts, advertisements, and other nasty bits of code.

The best defence against potentially rogue extensions is to remain vigilant at all times. In keeping with this idea:

Think before you download. Do you really need this extension?

Do your research. Is there a large user base for this extension? Was it built by a trustworthy source? Are there any reviews for this extension?

Miss your Chrome extensions?

Do more to protect your internet privacy

Now if you REALLY want to step up your internet privacy game, here are more steps you can take.

Use ExpressVPN. While “pausing” Google Web & App History prevents Google from collecting data about you, it doesn’t prevent your ISP from tracking what you’re doing online and potentially sharing it with corporations and governments. To hide your online activity from your ISP, use a VPN like ExpressVPN.

Use Tor Browser.Tor hides your location and online activities from anybody doing network surveillance or traffic analysis, so your internet activity is difficult to trace back to you. It’s one of your best bets for maintaining anonymity online. To maximize the effectiveness of Tor, be sure to read these tips: Want Tor to really work?